Event Pre-recording + California Law.

[John Sellers]

I know the unit has parked car pre-event recording, but what about pre-event recording on a moving car? I want something that will given good pre-event recording beyond looping as I want to make frequent manual recordings of dangerous law breakers that I often see on winding roads over the hill during a dangerous commute. The local law enforcement will accept them as long as they are legal. Example was the cyclist I saw intentionally run a red light from a dead start!

But California law limits automobile event video to no more than 30 seconds before and 30 seconds after the event. Editing a video to shorten it might be considered tampering with the evidence. This compromises most loop recording which is 1 minute or more which will be legally too long unless the event happened exactly half way through a one minute video. Shorter loop videos that locked consecutive segments is one possible answer.

But I would like to see emergency videos that would capture the event when manually started almost ten seconds after the event and not go over the 30 second legal limit either before or after the event.

I sent one dash cam back because it only recorded 2 seconds before the event and that was not enough time to manually capture an event. They were vague about whether the issue would ever be fixed by a firmware update.

 

[Panzer Platform]

I think it’s possible you are misinterpreting the statute, or I am, or both of us are.
Maybe we need a lawyer to interpret this. Lol

CVC 26708 (13)
(A) A video event recorder with the capability of monitoring driver performance to improve driver safety, which may be mounted in a seven-inch square in the lower corner of the windshield farthest removed from the driver, in a five-inch square in the lower corner of the windshield nearest to the driver and outside of an airbag deployment zone, or in a five-inch square mounted to the center uppermost portion of the interior of the windshield. As used in this section, “video event recorder” means a video recorder that continuously records in a digital loop, recording audio, video, and G-force levels, but saves video only when triggered by an unusual motion or crash or when operated by the driver to monitor driver performance.
(B) A vehicle equipped with a video event recorder shall have a notice posted in a visible location which states that a passenger’s conversation may be recorded.
(C) Video event recorders shall store no more than 30 seconds before and after a triggering event.
(D) The registered owner or lessee of the vehicle may disable the device.
(E) The data recorded to the device is the property of the registered owner or lessee of the vehicle.
(F) When a person is driving for hire as an employee in a vehicle with a video event recorder, the person’s employer shall provide unedited copies of the recordings upon the request of the employee or the employee’s representative. These copies shall be provided free of charge to the employee and within five days of the request.

These are the cameras that monitor a commercial driver to detect “falling asleep at the wheel”.
This 30 second nonsense does not apply to dash cams looking out at the road, (at least not the way I’m reading it).
Here is a link to the regulation;

Law section

-Chuck

 

[kamkar]

In Denmark you can record all you like while driving, but i have recently found out that using parking guard in just about any format, that is most likely illegal here.

Your footage recorded while driving, well you might also run into some problems if you share that in public as is, i think bluring of plates might be needed, though personally i do not do that and i have no plans to start doing that.

If a court order me to, in that same second i start reporting to police any and ALL traffic violations i see capture, and i will make a BIG FUSS about it when police most likely say well we have no interest in pursuing this, just like they have done with footage i have handed in that was of severe traffic violations,,,, meaning so bad that today they could go take the persons licence and also now confiscate the car used in the recording.

 

[Decking]

UK police are always asking for dashcam footage to assist in enquires, be that a road traffic accident, missing person, burglary etc. So as long as they appear to encourage the use of a camera for their use, I see no problem in recording 24/7, for my use. We also have the “police portal”. Where you can upload footage to any police force area, to report bad driving/ hit and run, etc etc.